We recently had a staycation in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and found ourselves entertaining a large group of friends who have traveled from all over just to come see us. We were excited to the usual with them – eating, drinking, and just being lazy on the beach…but what if we could do more? That’s where CP Tours’ Cycle Party Las Olas came in!

First things first – what is a cycle party?

A cycle party is the best way to mix friends, exercise, and alcohol. Better known as the triple B’s. Bikes, Buddies and Booze! (As quoted from the CP Tours site…we couldn’t have said it better!). Imagine wearing your favorite shorts, casually making your way through one of the most happening neighborhoods…without a thing to worry about. After all, there wasn’t that much to think about. You’re not only outside enjoying fresh air but you’re also exercising! Look at that. Mom would be so proud. Plus, if you’re the organizer in your group, bonus points to you…you might actually be introducing to your friends the most fun afternoon ever. No wonder you always have the best ideas.

And we can say this because we dared go on the crazy 12-people bikes ourselves last weekend…and loved every single minute of it.

Photo Courtesy CP Tours.

So, where do you actually start?

Right here. This link will take you to the Fort Lauderdale Cycle Party page, where you get to choose from seven different tours.

We only tried the Pub Craw Tour (for now!) and we each got three drink tickets. It’s up to you if you want to use them all on the first stop or save them for later, but trust us, you will get thirsty very quickly and even more towards the end, especially towards the summer months. You’ll also receive a souvenir cup and a low-res photo package.

Our best tips for your next Cycle Party

Great for friend groups. This totally beats a standard night bar hopping. For once, you’re going places and, yes, you’re exercising. Plus, it gives everyone a thing or two to talk and write home about. When was the last time you rode a 12-people bike? The thing looks ridiculous and that’s secretly when our love affair and curiosity for CP Tours began.

It will get hot. We’re in South Florida. Let’s not forget that. Summer or winter, the chances are that you will be sweating it up after the first twenty minutes. Our advice? Don’t pick the hottest time of the day. Bring plenty of water, SPF and wear appropriate clothing.

DJ it. Plan ahead and bring a music playlist ready on your phone. It not only makes it seem like a true workout (and hence, something you can feel good for the rest of the day, or, what the heck… the whole week!), but it also amps the fun.

Don’t miss out on the other locations!

Finally, stay in touch

If you’re planning a trip to Fort Lauderdale, Miami or West Palm Beach soon, we recommend that you stay in touch with them. Cycle Tours has tons of great info on their Facebook page, or on their Instagram feed. You can also visit their website anytime to book online or contact them directly at (954) 633-4665 or info@cp-tours.com.

We wrote about the best hiking backpack here. As the weather starts to get nicer, we begin to plan our vacations and weekend adventures, so get ready because…

…we’ve caught the hiking bug!

We’re pretty excited about slowly building our hiking wardrobe and gadget must-haves, and share with you all our research and findings in the blog. To get us motivated, we have decided to begin with…the best hiking pants for women.

I know you’re probably wondering…

…do we really need a full new set of hiking pants?

And my answer to you is…

YES.

When we were hiking and walking for hours in Hawaii, I was SO envious of Dan’s pockets. I made the wrong decision to go “cute,” which meant wearing my ridiculous leggings with crazy patterns (which, by the way, I totally love). This was a huge mistake! For starters, no pockets. So, as I was struggling to get gum or my credit card from the shared backpack, Dan had everything at arm’s reach. This should have been no surprise as Dan can even fit a Kindle in there. Me? No way. I barely managed to stick my cell phone in between my bare skin and my pants, to only end almost burning myself when the battery overheated.

I made myself a simple promise. Next trip? POCKETS.

We tried to go shopping when we got back to the hotel, by the way. But for some reason everything was too square looking, too green or gray, or just too expensive. Lesson #2 from my Hawaii hiking, then, was NOT TO BUY in Hawaii.

So, when it came to our top picks for the 7 best hiking pants for women in 2017, we looked for, of course, pockets, but also a great fit, colorful picks, and to try to keep the price tag somewhat under $100.

Are you ready then to see our top seven best hiking pants for women?

Carry on!

Best Hiking Pants for Women $50-$150

We are totally suckers for Athleta clothing, so that’s where we decided to go shopping first. Oh, if money were no issue! I think we would wear 100% all of their clothing 100% of the time.

$89 The Metro Slouch

The yoga-pant-comfy METRO style made to give your jeans a day off with handy pockets, sweet seam lines and super stretchy fabric that supports your love of adventure. We chose the full length pant just in case of mosquitos or other yucky nature we could find our on our paths.

$89 Bethona Boyfriend

This is Athleta’s jean-style Bettona, a smooth, wicking Pilayo® soft pants that get relaxed with a looser-leg fit. We loved the fact that they were inspired by the boyfriend cut, which is exactly what we were looking for!

Best Hiking Pants for Women: Best Sellers

After we bookmarking Athleta’s great finds and waiting patiently for them to go on sale (yes!), we focused next on Amazon’s best sellers. Why not? You get hundreds of reviews, and tons of different filters to go crazy about. And yes, after five minutes we give up because we get dizzy and we realize that what we really need is paper towels instead…but for now, we’ll keep the dream alive.

Here are our top 4 best hiking pants for women that were also best sellers on Amazon.com (and that we actually liked, too.)

$33 Singbring Women’s Outdoor Waterproof Hiking Mountain Pants

“Waterproof” caught our eye immediately as we’ve been in pretty sucky situations before. Plus, most of the reviewers claim very breathable fabric and deep pockets. Bingo! You can click here next to read the full reviews.

$47 Angel Cola Women’s Outdoor Hiking Softshell Zippered Pants PW6114

We really liked the fact that you can see some curves on these pants right away (hello, remember? Latina here!). Plus, the contrast of the neon orange and the deep green is pretty bad ass, if I dare say so myself. Most of the reviewers advise to order a larger size. You can see all the reviews for these pants right here.

We could’t help ourselves and had to place a hot pink pair of pants. What can I say? At least you’ll be easily spotted anywhere you go! These bad boys are windproof and waterproof. They also have some thermal insulation, and they are quick drying with a breathable, soft shell. Read more about these hot pink hiking pants here.

Best Hiking Pants for Women: Expert Reviews

We also checked on great editorial for top picks when it came to hiking pants for women. We liked this article on PopSugar.com though it’s probably a little bit updated right now. Regardless, we liked two of their hiking pants recommendations.

$55 The North Face Horizon Tempest Pants

These guys are made of nylon, which is extremely durable (click on the picture for more info). One of our favorite features is the fact that you can roll it up, and make it a pair of capris in seconds!

$75 Lole Nile 2 Walk Short

The model looks way too stylish on the picture, but, if you have great legs and are not afraid of showing them (you shouldn’t!) we would love to recommend to you a great pair of shorts. The Lola shorts are wrinkle free, have tons of POCKET, and moisture-wicking. Plus, they are stretchy (huge plus if your meals are not optimal during vacation… mmm… GUILTY!), and they are made of bamboo charcoal, which is a natural anti-odor material.

So, are you ready to pick your pair of hiking pants? Tell us!

Disclosure: Travel Blogueras is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

As you’re getting ready to go on your favorite hike, what kind of backpack do you want to carry with you? We started hiking two years ago, but we felt truly in love with it when we went and explore all sorts of volcanos across Hawaii last year. We soon found out that if we were going to spend over six hours walking, we were in need of some major supplies, AND, a good hiking backpack to carry all that crap uphill (and downhill) with us.

Dan and I both have very strong, personal preferences as to what makes a good hiking backpack, but, as I’m the main purchaser of the household, I decided it was up to me to figure it out. We discussed for hours the criteria we were going to use to find and review the five best out there, and, we are happy to now write a full post, and a full set of reviews about all of our favorite backpacks on the list, right now.

The comparison guide of backpacks below and the comparison that follows will you find the right backpack to meet your needs, and look as travel chic as humanly possible on all your adventures, too!

Price: Approximate pricing on Amazon at the time of writing this article. In general terms: $ = under $40, $$ = $40 to $100, $$$ = $100 to $200, $$$$ = $200+

The backpacks on this chart are just a few of our favorite ones, and the last set we considered before we purchased ours. There are a plethora of options and brands out there, which actually makes the decision to buy your backpack very complicated and time consuming! From day trips to overnight trips, from looking at a small versus a large hiking backpack, we spent days sifting through all the information and consumer reviews.

All the backpacks included have at least 4.5 reviews and at least 50 reviews, which we think validates the seller and the brand and the model.

Feel free to use the quick jump navigation menu below to make it easier to find the most relevant information for your current search.

Disclosure: Travel Blogueras is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

What’s really a hiking backpack?

A hiking backpack is one of the first pieces you should consider when you’re putting together your hiking supplies list. A good backpack could make the journey go unnoticed, whereas a bad backpack will not only hurt your body (or your partner’s), but also has the potential to ruin your entire vacation. Think about it. You’ll be wearing the thing for hours at a time, so it’s super important to know what you’re really going to be looking for.

For starters, the size and the weight tend to be different from regular backpacks. The material in a hiking backpack is a lot lighter and it should be a lot more durable, in addition to waterproof or at least water resistant. This is not the regular backpack you used in high school to carry your books! Remember, you are going to be wearing it for hours…under the sun and the rain, against the elements, and on really, really bad terrain.

If you’re planning an overnight hike, or maybe you are in a location where the weather changes a lot from sunrise to sunset, your hiking backpack will also carry your backpacking clothes, and a plethora of gadgets, so you are also going to be looking for a backpack that has tons of pockets and organization built in.

In short? A hiking backpack is a “smart” backpack.

How to choose the right hiking backpack: 5 things to consider

Here are a few things you need to consider when picking your hiking backpack, which includes your hiking needs and budget, too.

Your backpack pick should be catered to you and you alone, but we think you should take into consideration the key features and backpack attributes described and detailed below.

Overall weight: How much are you willing to carry?

When choosing a hiking backpack, we think weight is perhaps one of the most important factors since it determines whether or not you’re going to be comfortable while traveling. You could argue that a better quality material should allow for more durability and quality, but we disagree. In this time and age, we believe the best and most durable materials should be the lightest. We pay a premium for a lighter phone, a lighter sneaker, even a lighter dinner! We see no reason why weight should not help you to greatly narrow your options when it comes to picking your backpack.

For day trips, I prefer to have a backpack under 1 pound, and I’m willing to go slightly over for a longer trip, but just a tiny bit. Anything else highly above one pound becomes extremely cumbersome on your back.

A word of caution here – straps! Some of the ultralight weight new backpacks come with super thin straps that will dig in into your skin after just a few hours.

Overall capacity: How much do you need to fit in?

The capacity of your hiking backpack is a key a differentiator when it comes to a day trip versus an overnight hiking trip. Here, it will really depend on what you do most often, and, in some instances, I will argue you might want to get one of each.

Backpacks are sized by how much they can hold, or their volume, which is measured in liters. (Just so you know 1 liter is around 4 gallons!)

As a rule of thumb, for a a full blown weekend trip (1-3 nights), we like to choose backpack that will hold between 35 to 50 liters. The experts advise up to 70 liters or more if you’re planning a 6 night+ long trip, and urge you to consider the season. If you’re hiking in the winter, you are going to need more room for thicker layers, and maybe even a warm sleeping bag.

By default, a hiking day trip backpack should be anywhere under 35 liters. This has been our first few trips so far, but we know we want to do more! For instance, we’re already planning a glamping weekend… and we can’t wait to post a full review on our favorite glamping trails in a few weeks!

Backpack functionality: How is your backpack constructed for the outdoors?

The material of your backpack is directly tied to durability, quality and weight, and it will also determine whether or not it will be waterproof. But, on top of the actual material, you should also consider its overall design and what we call “smart” features.

For starters, make sure your bag is made out of at a semi-waterproof material. We are not going into downpours or monsoons any time soon, so we think we should be okay if we are able to pour a full cup of water over it and have perfectly dry insides.

We also like the idea of lockable zippers, or having each compartment with two zippers so you can lock them together. Maybe not a must-have for a few hours of casually climbing up a small hill, but a very basic if you plan to travel by plane and need to check it out.

One of my favorite features for any of my bags is perhaps multiple compartments – any bag should have multiple compartments! This way, you can neatly organize your stuff and have easy access to retrieve what you need. For example, we want to put together gum, credit cards, IDs and phones in one pocket in the most hidden compartment just in case something falls off or we accidentally lose it as we’re looking for something else. We want to have the umbrella, flip flops and water bottles in the outside pockets, as we know we don’t really care if they get dirty, or we’re constantly using it as we’re hiking.

Padded shoulder straps and how comfortable they fit you should also be on your list of what to check out when looking for ultimate best hiking bags. As we said before, a good should strap make carrying your stuff a lot more comfortable, as the weight of the backpack will also be pushing down on your shoulders. Padding should be very thick, and ideally constructed out of a single piece of material, so it’s less likely to split.

Are you planning to going camping? We just reviewed Camping for Dummies. Check it out!

Budget: How much should you spend on a hiking backpack?

The price of your backpack will depend on size, fabric, and brand, as well as whether you purchase it on full price or sale. A day backpack can start as low as $15, while a really good overnight or multi-day backpack can go all the way up to $300. A store brand will always be less expensive than one of the most known brand names (North Face, or Osprey).

As with anything, we don’t think going to the top of the budget gives you the best bang for you buck, no matter how nice the backpack is. After all, it’s meant to be carried under the weather for hours, set on the dirt, and much more!

We would recommend putting a cap of $200 for a multi-day backpack and around $35 for a simple, light, small day one.

Styles of Backpacks: Which backpack style is best for you?

We’re doing this article solely focusing on hiking backpacks, but know that you most always want to look for a sport-specific backpack. We have compiled a small list of the different styles available to help you out for hiking, but also overall!

Backpacking backpacks – are meant to carry load of 30 to 50 pounds for multiple days (so up to 80 liters!). These guys are designed with an internal frame and many adjustment points and straps, and offer compartments for your camping gear too, such as sleeping bags, and water bottle slots.

Ultralight backpacks -ultralight backpacks are typically those under 10 pound-base weight, with 5 being super minimalistic. They tend to offer less organizational options, are thinner and less durable overall. They do come in multiple sizes.

Women’s backpacks. We found through our research that sometimes backpacks designed for women tend to have a better fit and feel overall more comfortable. In a backpack, look for a shorter torso, narrower shoulder widths, and more curved waist belts. We chose not to get this kind of backpack for now, by the way, as we like for our man to carry it for most of the way so…! Maybe for the next time around!

Hydration backpacks: for the longer hikes, we found that a great deal of backpacks come with some sort of hydration compatibility. This kind of backpacks tend to be ideal for a biker or ultra runners, but we felt we could do without for our day hikes.

Our review of the top 5 best hiking backpacks

To be honest, any of the backpacks mentioned above are excellent options; but there are few that we wanted to point out as our favorites. Below, you’ll find our top five picks for overall qualities and design.

We immediately gravitated towards the hot pink of the first picture for this hiking backpack (I know, we’re such girls sometimes!). We found this one of the most popular options under $30 dollars, with over 454 reviews at 4 stars in average.

It was funny to see a bunch of the reviewers mention this backpack as a top necessity for their trips to Disney and Universal Studios in Orlando. We laughed a little bit about it, yet, we know they were right. As we live in Miami, we can’t deny we go to the parks too often for our age, and we know well that sometimes, being in the sun and waiting for the rides for hours at a time could be more taxing on your body than just going hiking! So we agree with all those guys who bought this little backpack just to go to the park!

We tested this bag on a small local hike and we were pretty happy with it. First of all, it’s super light! And we were carrying (well, Dan was carrying) multiple water bottles. There’s a pretty good pocket on the inside for credit cards and keys, which we always look for, so we were pretty happy with that! It can hold a lot of items, and we found it to have a pretty comfortable fit.

We’re back to featuring an awesome pink backpack! (Men, don’t worry, it also comes in green and other manly colors). The first thing that called our attention for this beauty was the extremely high number of reviews – over 5,000…for an average rating of 4.5 stars. Now, we don’t see that very often, so we had to dig in a little bit more. Plus, you can get this hiking backpack under $20.

The Outlander backpack has a stylish look, and it seems to have been designed as the go-anywhere pack, especially for super-minimalists who make every gram count. Ultra-light. Ultra-durable. Ultra-awesome. The backpack is perfect for day-to-day use or occasional travel. Adjustable breathable straps make it easy and comfortable to carry for all day use.

But, perhaps, one of our favorite features is how compact it is. The full backpack folds into zippered inner pockets to fit anywhere! You get a roomy main compartment, two front zipper pockets to hold the small stuff, one internal security zippered pocket for credit cards and keys, and two side pockets for water bottles. It’s also super light weight, at 0.46 pounds and has a pretty good capacity (up to 33 liters).

This Favofit backpack also folds into a small pouch, so you can pretty much stick it in your carry-on if you’re traveling or flying to your hiking destination. It’s also very lightweight, at just 0.7 pounds, and has over 99 reviews…all 5 stars. The Favofit is crafted with high quality ripstop, water resistant nylon fabric, two way abrasive SBS zippers and 16 reinforced bartacks. Needles to say, the manufacturer claims to have designed a pretty durable hiking backpack.

Personally, we like the breathable mesh shoulder straps, and the 4 pockets and 2 compartments to keep things organized. We found most reviewers to like it for hiking, cycling, walking or just to carry as your personal item when you’re flying.

Osprey Men’s Aether 85 Backpack

The Osprey Aether is the real deal, and will cost you around $190 depending on your size and color preference. It has over 55 reviews, all 5 stars, and we have always found Osprey to have great quality products, so we wanted to feature this hiking backpack in our main review. At 5 pounds and over 85 liters of capacity, this is one of our heaviest, and largest picks for best hiking backpacks.

Some of our favorite features include:

Keep water bottles or other gear easily accessible in the side pockets featuring access from the top or side

Strong J-zipper on front panel provides quick access to gear in main compartment

Wide-mouth access sleeping bag compartment with divider

Our only small complaint was that we didn’t find as many outside pockets as we have wanted to, but that was easily offset by the fact that you can even carry your bulky sleeping back if you wanted to.

The North Face Surge Backpack

North Face is one of those classic brands you can never go wrong with. I used to stroll down their main store on the Upper West Side in New York when I lived there, just to feel a little bit more sporty and adventurous. I also ended up buying a skiing jacket here just to use during the regular winter because my fancy, fashionable coats never succeeded at keeping me warm!

We know that North Face is pretty great, and we were happy to include, as our last but not least pick, their Face Surge Backpack.

The FlexVent suspension system boasts custom injection-molded shoulder straps, a padded mesh back panel with a spine channel and a wicking lumbar panel for maximum support and ventilation. Plus, you get a main compartment for other gadgets such as chargers, cameras, etc. The front compartment has internal organization with a fleece-lined media pocket, secure zippered pocket and elastic webbing for cord management.

But, as much as we liked it, we ended up feeling this was more like a one and all backpack for every day, or even going to work, versus a truly hiking backpack we can carry around forever. Regardless, we thought it could be a great option for travel overall, when we had a vacation with short hikes that didn’t require speciality equipment and we could use the Surge Backpack both as a personal item for the plane AND a backpack for our daily, travel adventures outside the airports!

So what’s the best hiking backpack for the money?

Sometimes the true questions might come down to value, or your overall budget when it comes to choosing the right backpack. What’s the BEST hiking backpack I can get for my budget? We have two backpacks in our list that we would choose and that they are in a similar price range.

As we said before, any of the above choices would be a great option for your hiking adventures. It all depends on what you’re ultimately looking for, what you can afford, and, if you’re a little bit like us, what colors you can pick!

Wrap Up and Final Thoughts

You can see there’s a lot to consider and then some when it comes to searching for the best hiking backpacks on the market today. In fact, just trying to nail down the right criteria, beyond budget, best material, best functionality and best capacity overall could be a task on its own.

At the end, you should always think of a hiking backpack as a true asset and investment, a new accomplice for your travels and adventures, remembering to look for your ultimate comfort, and use!

Dan and I have been fortunate to call ourselves cruise ship aficionados. After our debut trip with my parents ten years ago, we have been on more than 15 cruises, traveling the Caribbean, as well as South America. We thought we could not be surprised when it came to vacationing on the sea…until we made of Royal Caribbean’s world’s largest cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas, our home away from home.

First impression was…WOW. Followed by…WHAT IN THE WORLD…and then…I CAN’T BELIEVE IT. And this was only in regards to Harmony of the Seas‘ luxurious interiors and gravity-defeating architecture. It took us a little while longer to be completely in awe about the better-than-Broadway entertainment (which, by the way, includes a water theatre!), the indoors Central Park, the Ultimate Abyss, the Flowrider, a zip-line, and their own merry-go-round. And yes, they also threw in a 100% bionic bar, just in case we were running out of things to write home about.

There’s so much to do aboard the ship that you can literally just stay on it for seven straight days and still be missing out on doing SOMETHING.

Harmony of the Seas in Numbers

First things first, Harmony of the Seas is the ultimate champion on every single category we could think about. Harmony of the Seas is taller than the Eiffel Tower, and over 6 times the length of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Infographic by Royal Caribbean – Harmony of the Seas

The world’s largest cruise ship can host 6,780 guests at a time, and 2,100 crew members – that’s almost 9,000 people! There are 2,747 staterooms, 18 decks, 24 guest elevators, and seven “neighborhoods.” If you are thinking this is starting to sound like a small city, then you’re getting a pretty accurate picture of what it is to be on board. We thought Las Vegas when we first walked in through the Promenade, only to discover Central Park and feel immediately in New York City. If this is what the future looks like, a magical place with all of our favorite cities just a few steps away from each other, please sign us up!

The Don’t Miss Spots

We have included in this post our favorite spots on Harmony of the Seas. And yes, the list is pretty long! At the Boardwalk, we got a hot dog and a beer at 4pm (because we could!), and stood in line for the King of the World Carousel (insider’s tip if your guy likes beer – the best beer selection is actually at the small food stand by the carousel). We strolled in Central Park and ate a salad for lunch, a little bit nostalgic about our days living in New York. We marveled at the robots preparing our drinks at the Bionic Bar, and then we walked to the Aquatheater, where the world’s best extreme-sports athletes performed high-flying feats in The Fine Line. In another life, where Dan and I are actually sporty on our vacations, we would have been daring enough to scream on the zip-line and be brave enough to try the flowrider. But for now, we packed seven, amazing romantic dates in just two days! And that is not a small feast at all.

The Day Date

With only two days on board, we tried to maximize our time, and we knew it was going to be a tough balance between two of our favorite activities – doing nothing (pool, reading, spa) and doing a little (eating, drinking). On board, our most amazing day date was actually with James Beard Award winner Michael Schwartz, who also owns Michael’s Genuine and Harry’s Pizzeria back at home. On Harmony of the Seas, he presents 150 Central Park, where seasonal, farm-to-table fare sourced from small South Florida farms feels (and tastes) like the ultimate treat. As he hosted a wine and cheese pairing for us, we had the chance to ask him all kinds of questions…his secret to his amazing burrata and peach salad? Fresh peaches. Right.

We learned two other incredible facts after that lunch as well… One, I really like ice wine and, two, ice wine has over 30% alcohol. Note to self – eat more cheese.

Yes! This happened! So excited to have met Michael Schwartz aboard Harmony of the Seas.

The Night Date

We started our night at Boleros, Harmony of the Seas Latin-inspired bar and lounge. They have a live Salsa band every night, so you can guess it was a popular spot from the get go. I’m hoping one of these days Dan and I can actually dance salsa, but for now, we enjoyed the mojitos and watching the more seasoned guests who were not too shy to show off some mad skills on the dance floor (jealous!). From Boleros, we headed towards one of the most popular attractions on the ship – the Bionic Bar. Here, mixology meets technology as two robotic bartenders powered by Makr Shakr engineer the perfect cocktail! We ordered them on a tablet near the bar and then we were able to release the finished drink with our room card. Pretty amazing.

Photo by Travel Blogueras – the Bionic Bar on Harmony of the Seas

Photo by Travel Blogueras – the Bionic Bar on Harmony of the Seas

Photo by Travel Blogueras – the Bionic Bar on Harmony of the Seas

After a little while, we headed towards the Royal Theatre to watch one of my all-time favorites, Grease. We learned that Royal Caribbean International is the first cruise line to feature fully licensed, Tony Award-winning Broadway productions, and not only that, they were also able to license the songs from the movie as well. The result? A true Broadway-quality show on the sea. Bravo!

Photo by Royal Caribbean – Grease

Photo by Royal Caribbean – Grease

Bon Voyage!

If you think we covered a lot here, surprise! There’s still a lot more to do! The gym was state of the art and I’m kind of upset I only went once. We also didn’t get to experience the spa, or go to the rest of the restaurants…we didn’t even play mini-golf! I don’t think I mentioned it before but yes, they also packed a mini-golf area, by the flowrider. In short, we’ll be coming back soon! I know Dan will kick my butt at ping-pong, but there’s a fair chance I will win a dance off at Boleros. And, if everything fails, we’ll hang out at the hot tub drinking margaritas until it’s time for dinner (or breakfast!).

One of our favorite vacation destinations is Hawaii. And we are saying this today, after spending a full week in Honolulu…for the first time ever!

We planned the whole trip around The Royal Hawaiian, the iconic pink resort that rests on the shores of Waikiki since 1927 and is said to be responsible for a new era of luxurious resort travel to Hawaii. In fact, The Royal Hawaiian was one of the first hotels established in Waikiki, and, over its 90 years of history, it has been host to a wide array of celebrities and world dignitaries (and, well, us, the Travel Blogueras!). The hotel’s facade is made out of concrete stucco, as inspired by Spanish and Moorish styled architecture. Inside, we were delighted by its rich history, wood-carved interiors and fastidiously curated…pink! We loved the pink in the wallpaper, the chairs in the lobby, the rugs and much more. They even had a full pink store that only sold pink artifacts and gifts.

There’s something about being on the beach, surround by pink, in one of the most beautiful places in the world, with the most amazing food and weather that well, just screams out ROMANTIC. We took long strolls by the shops, lounged around the pool, had drinks overlooking the sunset (every single day!), and could not help wondering…okay, how could we possibly move here? And I’m not talking about moving to Waikiki, though that would be pretty awesome, I’m talking about moving to The Royal Hawaiian altogether. Did I mention they also offer free yoga classes at their manicured gardens twice a week? Oh, and they even gave us PINK robes. Can a girl really ask for anything else? (Another trip to The Royal Hawaiian, maybe??)

We were extremely fortunate to have had the comprehensive and kind advice of Ayaka, who patiently answered all our questions and gave us great recommendations for things to do, see and eat around Ohau (thank you Ayaka!). We will be posting in the next few weeks more about Hawaii, especially our top restaurant list and itinerary, so stay tuned, as we thought Ayaka’s list was too good not to share with you guys. In fact, we wish we had an Ayaka at every single hotel we go to!

In the meantime, here’s our top 5 list of favorite things to do around Waikiki for couples in their honeymoons…

GET A FLOATIE. ESPECIALLY A PINK FLAMINGO ONE.

We know, we know. This is supposed to be an ADULT vacation, but, trust us on this one, everyone has one. And we mean it. We were hesitant to get one and we truly waited till the very last day, and well, we were sorry! We had the most fun we ever had at a beach just by trying ride the waves using a ridiculous orange, donut-shaped floatie. We laughed so hard our ribs hurt. And, we stayed on the beach till it was so dark we couldn’t see our faces. Now, that was so romantic I’m kind of sad we are 11 hours away from it!

WALK TO DIAMOND HEAD, AND BACK

This honestly took us 5 full hours of non-stop walking. We got rained on maybe three or four times. But we ran into the most ridiculous characters (there was a little angry man who complained that girls on Instagram only care about taking selifes, well, duh!), a botanical garden, and the most amazing ice cream truck which served ice cream made solely from bananas and acai. Yum.

ISLAND VINTAGE COFFEE

It’s just a few minutes from The Royal Hawaiian, on the second floor of the complex. The place gets crazy packed after 7:30am so you have to wake up and get going! We fell in love with their acai bowls and an iced coffee drinks made with macadamia and coconut syrup. You can buy coffee beans to take home too!

HAVE AN ACAI BOWL FOR BREAKFAST

The acai berry is actually from Brazil, but for some reason, Honlolulu adopted it as theirs, and we loved them for it, so much! The acai bowl is served pretty much anywhere, and has the consistency of a thicker smoothie, with granola, bananas and strawberries on top. It’s just sweet enough to get you you going in the morning, and also works very well for a carb-loaded snack in the afternoon. And it’s purple!

This was by far one of our favorite experiences on the island. In ancient times the Hawaiian people came together to celebrate momentous occasions, these gatherings were called ‘Aha‘aina (which translates to gathering for a meal). The Royal Hawaiian is located on sacred grounds and they have created a modern, yet timeless Aha Aina, A Royal Luau, to honor the land’s majestic history through food, song, stories, hula, and culture—a true celebration of The Royal and its heritage. Waikiki’s only oceanfront dinner show transforms the traditional island experience in grand Royal Hawaiian style every Monday evening.

We didn’t have the chance to actually see it on the beach, as it happened to rain on our only Monday there, yet, we had such an amazing and fun experience, we highly recommend it. As you can see, below, we could not stop taking pictures!

Dan had a great time with the open bar and all the authentic Hawaiian pork you can ever eat! I was, personally, a fan of the poke, which is one of our new dishes that we make now at home.

Finally, the fire performance is a can not miss. Ever. We were happily surprise, too, to see him on the Today Show the very next day. #onlyattheroyal!

Do you have stories about The Royal Hawaiian or Waikiki to share? Drop as an email if you are interested in becoming a guest blogger with us!

As Miami locals we think 3p is cafecito time (actually 3:05p give that 305 is our area code!). We get cafecito at random corners on 8th street or Lincoln Road, pay $1 and call it a day. This weekend, we did something a little bit different. We had afternoon tea at the Biltmore Hotel.

Schultze and Weaver, the architects of other hotels in the Biltmore chain (as well as New York’s Grand Central Terminal and Miami’s Freedom Tower), designed the hotel to have the most modern of conveniences while fitting in a playful Mediterranean Beaux Arts style.

The Biltmore Hotel is a “luxury resort destination with an award-wining spa.” It sounds incredibly fancy. As it should. Because that’s exactly the Biltmore. As we sat down at 3:15pm to have petite fours and loose leaf tea in real China, we saw three brides and their respective bridal parties, a few photographers, and the best of Miami’s society pages – really cute eight-year olds dressed in ballerina outfits extremely excited about the fact that the harp music was indeed from Beauty and the Beast (okay, I was really excited too, but let’s keep that between us).

Sweet on the top and savory on the bottom! Too bad this is not an every day treat! Photo: 35westdesign.com

We loved the China and ritual of the afternoon tea. Dan was very skeptical at first, but eventually… he was a total pro about it!

The full tea service is $34.5 per person, and it includes a pretty generous three-tier tower of sweet and savory treats (the raspberry macarons were our favorite, followed by the flavored scones), plus three hot water refills of your own fancy hot tea pot. You can choose from white teas, black teas, and herbal teas, which is pretty hard, as all of them were pretty delicious. However, the tea service and the caring and smiling staff were actually not my favorite part of my first ever afternoon tea experience. The Biltmore Hotel was.

Spanish painted tiles are a used across the whole property, staying true to the original Beaux Arts inspiration.

The arch hallways and Arabian Nights inspired outdoor pendants are almost magical, and immediately pull you towards another time and place. Photo: 35westdesign.com

The Biltmore Hotel was designed by Schultze and Weaver and was built in 1926 by John McEntee Bowman and George Merrick as part of the Biltmore Hotel chain. When completed it became the tallest building in Florida at 315 feet holding the record until 1928 when the Dade County Courthouse was built. The Biltmore actually served as a hospital during World War II and as a VA Hospital and campus of the University of Miami medical school until 1968. In 1966, it was designated as a National Historic Landmark. The hotel was used for a setting for the movie Bad Boys, as well as TV shows such as CSI: Miami, and Miami Vice.

And, my total favorite part? Some said this hotel is actually HAUNTED, most often by the spirit of Thomas Walsh, or Thomas “Fatty” Walsh. He was a New York mobster who was killed at the Biltmore on March 4th, 1929 during a gambling dispute. Often, you hear Miami locals talk about how his ghost haunts the hotel elevator, which doors have been seen opening and closing and lights blinking on and off. The elevator usually stops and opens on the 13th floor, where Thomas Walsh was killed…oh my.

I came for the petit fours, and got spooked out! Just kidding. We really enjoyed walking around and marveling at the amazing decor and furnishings full of history and stories.

Fast-forward a few years later, and we are listening to classical music and smearing strawberry jam on buttery scones, and talking about the hotel’s amazing decor!

Now, this is a floor lamp worth blogging about…

In one of the many hallways, chairs’ arm rests and legs resemble birds and other animals with detailed wood carvings, typical of the late Gothic movement.

Dan eventually warmed up about the idea of doing afternoon tea. Outside, the views of the courtyard and perfectly manicured golf course were picture perfect.